The U.S. Fire Administration recently released its report, "Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2008," the latest in a series of annual studies of on-duty firefighter fatalities.

The Firefighter Fatalities series aims to identify all on-duty firefighter fatalities that occurred in the United States and its protectorates during the calendar year and to present in summary narrative form the circumstances surrounding each occurrence.

In 2008, 118 firefighters died while on duty: 66 volunteer, 34 career, and 18 wildland agency firefighters. There were five firefighter fatality incidents where two or more firefighters were killed, for a total of 18 fatalities.

Also

• 26 firefighters were killed during activities involving brush, grass or wildland firefighting, more than twice the number killed the previous year
• 75 fatalities were related to emergency incidents
• 28 firefighters died while engaging in activities at the scene of a fire.
• 21 firefighters died while responding to, and three while returning from, emergency incidents.
• 12 firefighters died while they were engaged in training activities.
• 13 firefighters died after the conclusion of their on-duty activity.

Heart attacks were the most frequent cause of death for 2008, with 45 firefighter deaths.

Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted on the USFA's Web site at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats.shtm.